While Paul Matthews was washing blueberries in Brigus, Newfoundland, his phone rang with a number he didn’t recognize. The voice on the other end turned out to be Jax Irwin, a broadcaster known for creating viral videos by cold‑calling random phone numbers.

Irwin told The Current that the call was part of a promotional stunt for the new Netflix series Below, which stars Josh Hartnett, Charlie Heaton and Mackenzie Davis. She deliberately dialed unknown numbers to keep the video authentic, saying the cast wanted “completely random” contacts.

Irwin explained that she began cold‑calling strangers after moving to Toronto from Dartmouth, N.S., because the transition left her feeling lonely and homesick.

During the conversation, Matthews chatted about Brigus’s rock walls and his former role as deputy mayor, while Irwin filmed the exchange for the Netflix campaign. The resulting clip was posted on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.

The Netflix promotional video of the call amassed almost 900,000 views across TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, turning a simple blueberry‑washing moment into a viral sensation and giving the series a surprising burst of publicity.

Irwin’s personal yearning for connection shows how individual emotions can shape unconventional marketing tactics, turning a solitary hobby into a powerful tool for media exposure.